Category: Technology

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Internet

How secure is your cloud storage, really?

Do you use the cloud for email, storage and collaboration? Now that so much of our working lives have moved online, the answer is probably a resounding “yes.” Many companies rely on cloud services to run their businesses smoothly and connect with employees and clients wherever they are. They’re a great innovation, but like anything, they do come with some risks.

Here’s the lowdown on cloud storage for business, and how to make sure yours is as secure as possible.

What is the cloud, and is cloud storage secure?

Let’s rewind. The cloud is a type of service or software that stores data on third-party servers, rather than your device. To access that data, all you need is an internet connection and a login. Google Drive and Dropbox are examples of cloud platforms.

While cloud storage security can vary, premium platforms use tools like built-in firewalls and encryption to keep your data safe and private. This means cybercriminals need an “encryption key” to hack into the cloud, which makes their job much, much harder.

3 cloud storage security risks

That being said, cloud storage security isn’t perfect. Many platforms don’t offer secure encryption or authentication, and some can’t distinguish between authorised and unauthorised users.

These are the cybersecurity risks attached to cloud-based applications, and the precautions you can take to protect your data.

Risk: Poor passwords. It’s essential to create complex passwords for your cloud services, and to change them frequently — every 90 days is a good guide. The strongest passwords are long, obscure and hard to guess, and don’t reveal anything about your personal life (such as your pet’s name or the street you live on). Aim to use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols, and avoid using that password for any other accounts.

Solution: Activate two-factor authentication. This requires you to provide two forms of verification before you can successfully log into the cloud. For instance, you might type in your username and password, and then a code is sent to your email address or phone. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to the cloud, and another obstacle for would-be hackers to jump through.

Risk: Cloud misconfiguration. Most cloud leaks can be traced back to misconfiguration. In other words, the humans behind the cloud didn’t put proper controls in place. They could have failed to limit permissions to the cloud to select users or accounts or made the servers accessible via SSH port 22, which means hackers can launch cyberattacks from afar.

Solution: Cloud service providers (CSPs) are in charge of the security of the cloud, including hardware and software. But everything else is up to the users. It’s important to configure your cloud security so hackers can’t bypass your internal policies and access your company’s and clients’ sensitive information. Firstly, double-check you’re using an encrypted cloud storage platform and audit it on a regular basis to make sure you’re monitoring vulnerabilities and addressing them ASAP. Then, to reconfigure your cloud-based server for your small business, restrict access to the employees who need the cloud (or certain files) to do their job. This goes a long way in minimising your company’s risk exposure.

Risk: Not backing up your data. Sophisticated cloud services feature “redundancy,” which means they copy your data onto different data centres in case of a server crash. That way, if your cloud service provider suffers an outage, you’ll be able to access your data from another server.

Solution: You can also practice redundancy on your own. In simple terms, this involves backing up all the data on your cloud to another source. This could be a different cloud platform or even a hard drive.

Tighten your cloud security

Along with putting these tips into practice, you can tighten your cloud security with ESET. The cybersecurity company offers the best secure cloud storage with ESET Cloud Office Security. This software protects your cloud from malware and misconfiguration, and can help flag and address cyber attacks before they happen thanks to its predictive security function. Meanwhile, ESET Protect Complete provides a multi-layered defense against a range of cyber threats. It also safeguards your cloud, offers endpoint protection and sets up two-factor authentication for you.

Got any questions about cloud security? ESET’s Digital Transformation can help you manage your workforce and boost your cybersecurity today.

Categories
Technology

The Cloud Is Essential To Our Modern Lifestyles; Here’s How To Use It Safely

The cloud is an incredibly useful tool for both work and entertainment. Without the cloud, there would be no Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox, or Microsoft 365. We wouldn’t have collaborated through the pandemic, and we would have been relying on advertising-filled and increasingly low-quality free-to-air television to keep us sane.

As useful as it is, however, the cloud does have one big issue: security. By its very nature cloud services store data on the Internet, and the more we store online, the more we risk losing. To give you an idea of the extent of the threat, just one cloud service, a popular creative provider, Canva, had a breach that exposed 137 million accounts in 2019. More recently, in December 2020, IoT vendor, Ubiquiti Networks, experienced a breach that affected as many as 85 million accounts. The problem here, too, was that IoT devices rely on the cloud to run.

These companies invest heavily in security, and yet they were still breached. Which raises the question: is it possible to safely use cloud computing?

The good news is that there are some basic, common-sense things that we can all do to protect ourselves as they use cloud services, which have become so essential to our modern lifestyles.

1)   Use a reputable ISP.

Finding the right ISP is essential to using cloud services safely. In Australia, there is the concept of “clean pipes,” where a lot of the fight to protect users and cloud-stored data can be done at the ISP level.  A good, reputable ISP will also be able to offer good information and resources around cybersecurity to users. As an additional benefit, the more reliable the ISP, the more reliable the speeds used to access cloud services will be, above and beyond the security concerns, making it safer to rely on cloud services for essential work.

The more that you rely on the cloud to work and play, the more expensive downtime becomes. Losing access to a video streaming service can be irritating. Losing access to your critical work documents with a deadline looming can be catastrophic. As work is placed on the cloud, the convenience of it becomes too much to ignore, but the more you’re going to need a reliable ISP that can resolve technical issues quickly should something go wrong.

2)   Make use of best practices tools and techniques

We’ve all heard these ones before: make sure that every password is strong and unique to the other passwords you use, and set up two-factor authentication wherever possible. These don’t guarantee security (for example, if a cybercriminal knows your phone number, they could potentially get the number transferred to their device and then use that to break past your two-factor authentication), but as you can see from that example above, the process becomes a lot more elaborate and challenging. Having a good password manager that will create and manage passwords so you don’t have to, is a good investment, too. In many cases, cloud services are insecure because people make mistakes online (“password” and “123456” are STILL the most common passwords, against all best practice advice), so being just a little more circumspect with your online behavior can be significant in protecting you online.

3)   Sign out when you’re not using a service

It can be a pain to log in every time that you want to use a service, but you should still sign out at the end of every session, even if there is the option to stay logged in. Why? Because technology can go missing. Perhaps you leave a laptop in a taxi by accident, or perhaps your house gets broken into. If the only thing that a criminal needs to do to get access to your accounts is figure out your desktop password, you could be in for a lot of trouble. Many devices (mobile phones in particular) have the ability to remote wipe. This often needs to be turned on and connected to an account before the device has been lost, however, so make sure it’s one of the things you do in setup.

4)   Regularly refresh your connected accounts

It can be so convenient to log into cloud services using Google, Facebook or Twitter accounts. They can cut time out of setting up a new account and can sidestep the need to set up a separate login. However, these links can also be highly insecure, and if a hacker gets access to an account, it can quickly result in you losing multiple accounts in one go. Make a habit of reviewing those connected accounts frequently and, where they’re not longer needed, disconnecting them so as to not compromise your entire network of cloud services.

Being safe with cloud services does require vigilance, but it is entirely possible to achieve. Making best practice use of passwords, protecting your devices, and making sure that you’re using the right ISP will all result in a smooth, reliable, and secure cloud experience, whether that’s for work or play.

Categories
Apps and Software Technology

These 9 Reasons Ensure You to Hire .NET Developers at Chudovo

Finding a software development team is challenging and takes time. At the same time, your company needs to finish the software immediately. Hiring a software development team is one of the best solutions your company can do.

Nowadays, finding certified software developers is much easier. Chudovo is one of the trusted services that facilitate companies with skillful developers. Before that, learn why you should hire software developers from this company below.

This Service Has Developers from A Variety of Backgrounds

This company has a team that consists of certified software developers from a variety of backgrounds. Most of them also have experience in this field for a few years by handling any company level from startups to big enterprises. Their skills, knowledge, and experience support them to achieve the best software products based on their clients’ needs. Indeed, they are also ready to develop software or apps from any industry.

Secure and Trusted

Due to the skill and experience, the IT development team tries to create a secure software product. The products are not only safe to use but also effective to help companies to grow. They also support the software products with the latest security system and encryption to ensure that no one can use them except their clients.

Easy to Use

Only because the team is certified developers doesn’t mean that they always create sophisticated software. The team works based on the standard project development stages. It means that they will research and create planning on the software development they are about to do.
Research means to know the company that will use the software. As a result, the software products will be easy to use for the clients. Clients can also test the software before deploying and using it on the company.

Set the Software Products Based on the Preferred Language

Some clients may not use English. They may be uncomfortable with software that uses English. The solution is creating a software product based on their preferred language. Clients can request the language of the software they want to create.

The development team from Chudovo can handle it. They even can create software and applications in multiple languages to accommodate companies with diverse employees. The idea is to ensure that all employees understand the details and how to use the software. As a result, the software will significantly improve their productivity.

Easy to Optimize

You would better be upgrading the technology regularly to follow the trend and improve the performance of the company. You don’t need to get confused about looking for another certified software development team. The team from Chudovo will handle it.

You only have to request an improvement, and you will get it. Thanks to the open-source framework this company uses. This system makes the software, apps, and other projects easy to optimize anytime clients want.

Easy to Deploy

Imagine how long it takes to deploy a new software product or app when doing it without help from the experts. The process even can disrupt the working activity of the company. Chudovo tries to solve this problem by offering software products and apps that are easy to deploy.

The team will do the standard by applying any feature, such as private components, trusted code, safe applications, and many more. This service tries to ensure that the deployment process will not disrupt the activity in the company.

Legal

Best of all, Chudovo uses legal systems to ensure that the software, apps, website, and other products are safe to use. There will be no one claim on the products since the developers create them based on the legal terms and conditions.

Compatible with Other Systems

Indeed, you don’t have to replace all the systems in your company only because you want to upgrade them. The software developers from Chudovo create software products that are compatible with other systems. As a result, you can use the software with Linux, Mac, Windows, and others.

The more compatible the software, the more flexible to use to help the company. It is the reason why the team is always analyzing what their clients need before developing a software product.

A Group of Skillful Developers

Chudovo can handle a lot of software projects because they have 32 skillful software developers with over 700.000 hours of experience. Nowadays, the team has handled over 112 projects, and a way to go. Based on the experience hours, the developers have done so many things in creating software, websites, desktop applications, mobile applications, and others.
Now, you have enough reason why you should hire .NET developers to develop new software products in your company. The most important thing is that your company can run the software immediately and spend less money to finish the project.

Categories
Apps and Software Technology

6 Basic Things a Startup Should Consider to Get the Best .Net Software Developers

We can’t doubt that technology can improve a business significantly. It is the reason why most big companies invest in technology. They will use or create the latest software not only to support business activities but also to attract more customers.

Startups or small businesses can also apply this trick to gain more customers. If you can’t pay a developer yet, you can hire them. Chudovo facilitates you to meet the best software developers to hire. Here are the tips to hire the right software developers.

Experience

You should understand your project before finding people who will be involved in the project. It determines what kind of team you want to find. The more sophisticated the project, the more experienced the software developers you need.

Try to learn their educational backgrounds, skills, experiences, portfolio, and other relevant things. Ensure that their specifications match with the software project your company is about to do. Hiring the right software developers makes the development, marketing, and maintenance much easier because they understand what to do.

Ensure They are Understand What Do You Want and the Goal of the Project

Try to explain what you want and the goal of the project. If it is necessary, ask for their overview of your goals and software project. It is a perfect time to analyze whether the developer is credible enough for the project or not.

Remember! You are about to work with them for a few months. Ensure that you can communicate with your software developers well. Effective communication can also boost the software development process.

Hire Software Developers That Ever Handle A Startup

Handling software is a complicated matter even for a startup business. The process is much easier and more efficient if hiring software developers who have experience in handling a startup. The type of business to handle can be different, but at least they know an overview of what they should do to develop software for your small business.

Hire Software Developers Who Show Their Working Plan

Another benefit to explaining your software project is to trigger the software developers to create a working plan. It is also a way to understand whether they understand all the things to do to accomplish the project. A working plan is guidance for the software development team to finish the project on time.

Hire Software Developers from a Trusted Company

It takes time to hire an independent software developer. You still have to test them to know their skills and experiences. The process is even much more complicated because your business is still a startup with limited human resources.

Make the hiring process faster by looking for software developers from a trusted company. For example, you can find expert software developers from a variety of backgrounds, skills, and experience at Chudovo.
The process is faster and more efficient because the company knows what you are looking for to complete the software project. It is a place where expert developers gather and are ready to handle a variety of software projects.

Indeed, you shorten the hiring process. Expert developers mean that they are certified and have years of experience to develop software products. The faster you get the best software development team, the faster you can use the software to enhance the performance of your startup.

Hire from a Company that Has Developers from a Variety of Backgrounds
A professional company often has developers from a variety of backgrounds. It helps the company to accept a variety of software development projects. Chudovo.Net is one of the examples. This company has a team from a variety of backgrounds.

Nowadays, they are ready to handle enterprise software development, microservice development, web applications development, cloud software development, cross-platform application development, desktop app, and mobile app projects.

It is a great option in case you want to develop multiple platforms to grow your startup business significantly. At least, you don’t need to find developers from other companies because you find the solution in one company.

It is crucial for a startup company that often has a limited budget. The faster you finish the software, the faster you get profit from this development. Then, you can think about improving it to the next level regularly.

So, only because you are running a startup business doesn’t mean that you don’t need to improve the technology. It is even crucial to boost the business immediately. Software and apps help to manage a business well instead of doing everything manually. Chudovo .Net will help your startup company to grow by improving the software, apps, and technology. Better technology will improve the productivity of your company.

Categories
Apps and Software Artificial Intelligence Mobile Technology

9 Android Apps with Artificial Intelligence You Can Download for Free

Artificial Intelligence has an important role in devices, including Android apps. Nowadays, top major mobile application developers upgrade their Android apps with AI technology. Check the apps that are using Artificial Intelligence.

Cortana

Cortana is a personal assistant app developed by Microsoft. As a personal assistance app, it helps to manage your schedules through your Android devices, including setting reminders, keeping notes, sending emails, and many more.

This app is even better with the use of Artificial Intelligence. Imagine that the system can set your schedules even if you don’t touch the phone. Cortana also has a sync feature, so you can manage your schedules on your smartphone and PC at the same time. As a result, you still get alerts from your PC even if you are far away from your smartphone.

The AI sends reminders based on time, places, or people. AI even helps Cortana to track teams, interests, and flight info. You will not miss your schedules and appointments because Cortana with AI will manage your digital calendar.

On the other hand, Cortana keeps you relaxed by turning on your favorite music, podcasts, and radio stations. Do you like to play a game via an Android device and get disturbed by chats? You don’t need to feel it anymore because of Cortana.

Cortana helps to manage your chats. The best part is that you can chat with friends while playing games without leaving the game screen. Cortana with AI is free to download.

Google Allo

Google Allo is an instant messaging app. This app can do a variety of basic tasks, including doodles, Google assistants, and gestures with stickers. So, what is the role of Artificial Intelligence in this app?

The AI improves the recognition capability into smart recognition. This feature detects your replying message style to reply to an email or message without touching your gadget at all. Google Allo has a variety of features, including creative text, emojis, and stickers, and restore the chat.

The chatting process is more interesting because you can create your sticker emoji. Just like Cortana, Google Allo is also free to download and use.

Hound

Do you need an assistant on your Android? If it is so, Hound is one of the most recommended Android apps with AI technology you can try. Artificial Intelligence improves the app with voice command detection.

Imagine that you can only use your voice to operate the app and get something from your gadget right away. The system works by recognizing the speech and language and turning it into text. Users can use Hound to find information about weather forecasts, the nearest restaurants, booking cabs, calculations, and many more.

The system can also detect your voice accurately. Travelers can also use this app to book a hotel. Music lovers will also get a benefit from this app because it helps to search, discover, and play music. It has a hands-free mode that will help you to call, text, and navigate more comfortably than before.

The best part is that you don’t need to spend your money at all only to download and use this app. Hound is free to download and use on Android devices.    

ELSA

ELSA or English Language Speech Assistant for those who want to learn English. Artificial Intelligence helps to make learning English more fun. Users can improve their pronunciation to speak English fluently.

The AI keeps users track of their progress through a report. ELSA has updated curriculums based on your native language. You can fix your English pronunciation by learning from the over 2000 correctly pronounced English words.

The system gives instant feedback on every sound you make. Besides learning about pronunciation, this app also helps users who want to know more about common English idioms. Using this app is an alternative for learning English at an affordable price because you can download and use the features for free.

Robin

Virtual assistance has become one of the most popular apps nowadays. It helps Android users to text messages, calls, setting a reminder, GPS navigation, and others. The Robin with AI is great virtual assistance that can help to do common activities on your Android device.

This app will do the process accurately by having access to the group, calendars, and many more. Due to its integration with Google and Office 365 and Exchange, users get an update on traffic status, weather, local news, trending stories, and many more.

You will also get weekly usage reports, space usage, peak hours, and others. Managing your meeting schedule is much easier with Robin instead of doing it manually. It is also free to download. You can try this app to make your life a bit better and well-managed than before.

Socratic

Socratic is a good app for students or other users who have difficulty with math questions. The developer develops this app with an AI to keep the result accurate. The developer also combines computer vision technologies to solve math questions faster, along with an instant explanation.

Socratic works by scanning the questions. So, you only have to take a picture of the math questions and upload them to the app. This app is not only helping you to answer the questions instantly but also giving a step-by-step explanation in the form of a video.

You can ask any math questions, including Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, physics, history, and literature. Learning math is more fun and affordable because it is free to download AI Android apps.   

Replika

Imagine if you have a chatbot AI companion. It sounds great, isn’t it? You can try and feel the sensation using Replika. As its name suggests, Replika tries to replicate someone who will be your friend. You can talk with this virtual character as you talk with your best friend.

AI technology helps to detect your needs. As a result, the replica can be your best friend, companion, or even mentor. It is also a free AI android app to download. It seems that your life will be a bit better because of this app.  

Databot

Databot works similarly to Replika. It means that you seem to have a robot in your pocket. With Artificial Intelligence, the Databot becomes your virtual assistance. Just like Replika, you can also ask your Databot to talk and ask questions.

The AI improves its capability to solve riddles, tell jokes, and do many entertaining things. The Databot also has several effective features, such as a feature to create attractive multimedia presentations using voice commands, text, and images.

There is also a feature to detect language, voice, and behavior. Just like your personal assistance, your Databot can also alert your schedules and search your contacts. This feature is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese. The app is free to download with some options for in-app purchases.

FaceApp

Facebook also develops an app with AI technology known as FaceApp. It is a photo editing app where users can change their look, hairstyle, and even gender. This app can even do any editing that you can’t do with the manual editing process.

Thanks to the AI technology that makes the editing result look smooth and realistic. Users can find a perfect hairstyle, beard, or mustache. Then, they can use color filters, lens blur, and other tools before saving or sharing the editing result. It looks like one of the fun Android apps with AI technology to use, right?       

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News Smartphone Technology

Try to Trick Your iOS Group Texts are Worth with a bit of Effort

You may confuse between the holidays, the election, and the need to stay connected with your family and friends virtually during this pandemic. You may find that your group texts have been popping out since they want to get in touch. 

Although this thing can be so fun, group texts on iMessage sometimes get bad feedbacks of the free-wheeling chaos along with nonstop notifications as well. Luckily, there are some Apple’s updates for your group texting over the years,  especially the latest update that can be found in iOS 14. It makes communication sometimes bothersome, but it’s still essential to get better in some most unexpected ways as well. 

So, it is better to spend your time, find out how these new options work, and you can start to apply them in your group text. The messaging features can make your group text less annoying. You should know that the personalization options and new design also can make your whole experience become more fun, and it also promotes the feeling that you are not too far away from your friends or family. 

Threading and Tagging 

So, tagging is the best feature for those who are annoyed most with notifications but do not want to miss something necessary. When you open an info, then you have options to hide it. However, if someone writes a name in the group chat, then that name will turn blue. Click it will give you some options to tag that person as well. Then that person will get notifications that they have mentioned, although the alert is hidden. For those who slack and threading will feel more familiar as well. 

Threading can be used when you are on the group text, and someone asks a question that you want to give a response to. If you press and hold the message, there is an option to replay it. You can write your message. and your text will pop out as the threaded response under the original message. Other people can give a response as well. 

You can start to personalize your chat 

This new update can be your favorite feature. Apple has introduced more ways to personalize your chatting or messaging look. It may not be as crazy as other platforms offer you, such as WhatsApp and Messenger. However, these changes are so useful and meaningful at the same time. 

You may just start to use older options in the messaging, but it makes a difference. Do you know that you can give a name to your group text? Although you can name it with your best friends only a simple one, there is no rule that this name should be permanent or informative. You can use or name it however you are. For example, during the election, your sub-group of some of your friends make a chatting group to share links and journeys in different ways. Of course, you can name it as well. It is a good way to keep organized, however, this is also another way to stay on the same page with many laughs as well. 

The look of group chats, whether you just open the message or see a vertical list of all your chats, and the top part of the specific conversation – this is another opportunity to give you much joy and personality as well. Chats will be represented by a grouping of circles, each circle also represents one member. In default, this circle will turn grey and contain the initials of people as well. Even the size of the circle turns from time to time based on the most and least active members. 

By doing this, all photo collections will be displayed – people will laugh or do whatever in that photo that you choose to represent them. It is at the top of your group chat. Although it is a simple change, just the visual representation in the top part, however, it can make you feel more like texting is about spending the best time with each other. 

There is also an option to apply a photo or emoji to the group chat image. Of course, the photo bubbles will still occur in the chosen group photo, but there is an icon that pops out in the message list rather than small circles only. This feature is quite similar to the group name. It can be more helpful and descriptive. So, there are many ways to make your chatting group feel more joyful, and you get the best quality time with your friends or family as well.

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News Technology

Sweet Spot as the Most Precise Position for Atom Qubits in Silicon for Quantum Processor Improvements

A group of researchers from the Center of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) in cooperation with Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) has invented the quantum of Sweet Spot. The quantum is to position qubit in silicon to improve the atomic based quantum processor.

Sweet Spot is known to have some benefits in the world of quantum computing. One of them is to make the quantum bit, known also as qubit, to place phosphorus atoms in silicon more precisely. This method is pioneered by the Director of CQC2T, Professor Michelle Simmons. Currently, the method is the leading approach in the world in the area of silicon quantum computer development.

It Develops Stronger Interaction

From the result of the research that has been published in Nature Communications, precise placement is proven to be important to develop a stronger interaction among qubits. Not only is it related to the interaction but uniquely, stronger combinations of qubits also happen with Sweet Spot.

In his statement, Professor Sven Rogge who leads the research said that his team has invented the most optimal position to create interactions between qubits that are stronger, faster, and reproducible. The professor also adds that the strong interaction is needed to engineer a kind of multi-qubit processor. In the end, a functional quantum computer can be created as well.

There is also a term namely the gate of two qubits in the research. It refers to the blocks that arrange the center of a quantum computer. It uses an interaction between a pair of qubits to do the quantum operation. For the atomic qubit in silicon, there has been other research to conduct before that. In the previous research, it is suggested that for a certain position in the silicon crystal, the qubit interaction contains oscillation components to slow down the gate operation as well as to make it more difficult to control.

Prof. Rogge stated still in the interview that in almost two decades, the potency of oscillation characteristics from the interactions has been predicted to turn into further challenges for the improvement.

Now, through the new measurement of the qubit interaction, Prof. Rogge’s team has developed a deeper understanding related to the oscillation characteristics. At the same time, it suggests further placement strategies that are more precise. The strategies are to generate a stronger interaction between qubits. Interestingly, the result is what has been believed by many people to be impossible to happen for a long time.

Figuring Out Sweet Spot in the Crystal Asymmetry

Furthermore, the researchers also state that they currently have found out that placing qubits is very important to create stronger and more consistent interactions. This important view has a significant implication for the big-scale processor design.

The main author of the research, Dr. Benoit Voison, states that silicon itself is a kind of anisotropic crystal. It means that the placement direction of the silicon atom significantly influences the interaction between them. 

Dr. Voison said that his team has acknowledged the anisotropic crystal even before. However, further studies have just been done currently. Besides, there is no other team that has been investigated in detail how the crystal is used optimally to reduce the oscillated interaction strength.

The team also has figured out that there is a special corner, which is later called the sweet spot, in a particular area in the silicon crystal. The sweet spot is where the strongest interaction between qubits is done. More importantly, the sweet spot can be achieved by using a lithography technique namely the scanning tunneling microscope (STM.)

STM to Map the Functions of Atomic Waves

By using STM, the team can do some other actions. One of them is mapping the functions of an atomic wave on the 2D image. Besides, it is also to identify the spatial location right in the silicon crystal. Those functions were firstly shown in 2014, in research published in Nature Materials. It was also filed in one of the Nanotechnology papers in 2016.

In the latest research, the team applies the STM technique to observe the details of atom scales from the interaction between atomic qubits that have been combined. According to Dr. Voisin, by using the technique of quantum imagery, his team is able to observe anisotropy in the wave functions as well as the direct interference in the area. It is basically the starting point to understand how the problem happens.

His team understands that in the beginning, they must know the effects of each material separately. It is before seeing the complete imagery to solve the problem. This is how the team found out the sweet spot that is compatible with the atom placement precision offered by the STM lithography technique.

Categories
News Technology

Timnit Gebru: Google Staff Gathers Behind Fired AI Researcher

It is reported that hundreds of Google staff have recently signed a letter supporting a famous Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics researcher who was fired by Google. The leading ethics researcher is Timnit Gebru. Her position in Google was the co-lead of the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team. Timnit Gebru was fired after sending an email that accused Google. Her colleagues in the giant IT company have signed a letter accusing that Google is doing censorship and racism.

On the other hand, Twitter users gather together around Dr. Gebru to support her as well by using a hashtag #BelieveBlackWomen. However, Google denies the AI researcher’s version of events. Timnit Gebru is a well-respected AI researcher in the use of artificial intelligence and the field of ethics. She is famous for her work on racial bias in technology. She also has criticized that failure to recognize black faces. Joy Buolamwini, Timni Gebru’s co-author mentioned in one of those well-known papers that Dr. Gebru deserved more from Google.

She says that Google’s credibility can be severely damaged by firing Dr. Gebru for her courage to demand integrity. Joy Buolamwini also adds that we all owe Dr. Gebru a debt for advancing the artificial intelligence field as well as equality with grace and humility.

What Exactly Happened?

Timnit Gebru alleges that she was summoned to a meeting that would discuss a research paper she had co-written when she was about to go on leave. Dr. Gebru mentioned that she was ordered to withdraw the research paper. She was also told that Google was not ready to get involved in a discussion about the matter. After the meeting, Timnit Gebru criticized the decision via an email sent to an internal group called ‘Brain Women and Allies.’ Platformer has published the copy of the email.

Dr. Timnit Gebru started the email by saying that her fellows in the group are not worth having a conversation she would talk about. She also said that members of the group do not have to write their documents anymore because it would not make any difference. Timnit Gebru had sent an email to her management laying out several key requirements to remove her name from the paper. And if they were not met, she would ‘work on the last date’ for her employment.

According to the female AI researcher, Google replied, “We respect your decision to leave Google… and we are accepting your resignation.” Google continued by saying that the end of Dr. Gebru’s employment should happen quicker. The reason is because Google finds that some particular aspects of the email sent by Dr. Gebru to her non-management group reflects behavior that does not meet Google’s manager expectations. This is what is considered as Google fired Dr. Timnit Gebru.

Dr. Gebru disputed whether she had resigned. She tweeted that Jeff Dean, a senior manager at Google who handles AI research, had fired her. She guessed that the management decided for her. The research paper that Dr. Gebru had co-written remains unpublished. However, the MIT Technology Review has summarized the content of the research paper, stating that it focused on the risks of training AI by utilizing huge archives of text data.

How Has the Reaction Been?

The open letter that shows support for Dr. Gebru has attracted almost 2,000 signatories since her dismissal. The signatories are both from within Google and the wider industry. Timnit Gebru said on her Twitter, “It has been very uplifting for me to see.” The news about her dismissal came out on the same day when a US labor agency accused the research giant of illegally firing staff because of their involvement in union activity. Staff at Google who worked with Dr. Gebru have praised her academic contributions as well as her work as a manager.

An AI researcher, Deb Raji said on his Twitter that he cannot count how many times she encouraged them, spoken out for them, and defended them. Deb Raji also tweeted, “She has made real sacrifices for the Black community. Now it’s time to stand with her!”

What Does Google Say?

Jeff Dean mentioned in an email that there had been so many speculations and misunderstandings about the firing incident. Mr. Dean alleged that Timnit Gebru’s research paper was submitted a day before the deadline. So that there was not enough time for Google to review it. He also added that the research paper ignored relevant research.

What do you think about this event?

Categories
News Space Technology

Supernova Stars Impacts

There is research from Michigan State University that exploding stars will create faster life-giving carbon atoms. It is faster than what they think first. The discovery brings the scientists to reveal the mystery they leave, related to the elements creation theories, and also new science in fusion and astronomy areas.

Carbon is one of the main elements of Earth. It explodes Supernova stars by creating the triple alphas fusion reaction. The “alpha” means a helium atom core that is created from two neutrons and two protons. When the three elements are fused, you will have carbons that consist of six electrons, six neutrons, and also six protons.

The reaction of the fusion is not that efficient, but there will be something that will help it. The researchers use supercomputer models to see the excess protons in its innermost become a supernova can trigger a triple alphas fusion reaction. The strength is 10 times stronger than the general carbon atoms we have.

This results in the number of carbon in the universe. Yet, for researchers, it leads to another question. They previously think that excess protons were used to create certain heavier molybdenum and ruthenium isotopes that are found on Earth. These elements cannot be created in other places, unless through Supernova, as an MSU professor said.

If it’s not the Supernova stars, the isotopes are then generated from other ways, but they don’t know how yet. They have alternatives, but it’s not easy to come up with one of them and destroy their theories. Thus, this might be the birth of new science.

Supernova Stars Facts

Some stars are not fading, they’re burnt. It ends their evolutions through Supernova, a massive cosmic explosion. When Supernova stars explode, the debris will get into space for around 25,000 miles per second. The blasts are not only produced carbons, but also some other materials like iron that is the component to make us and our planet. And for heavy elements, they are only made in Supernova. Thus, we carry those special elements that can only be produced through the stars’ explosion, in our bodies.

When stars explode, they produce clouds of gas and dust to space, and then to interstellar diversity. In further, the clouds create a shock wave that will compress the clouds of gas to form new stars. Yet, not all stars are formed into Supernova stars. Some are cold and end their lives as black dwarfs or white dwarfs.

Yet, some stars are even larger than the sun. And these kinds of stars will create a Supernova star when the fusion process in the core runs out of their fuel. Fusion will create pressure, and when it slows down, the core of the star will start to condense under the gravity. It will then be hotter and denser.

Impacts of Supernova

When Supernova stars happen, there will be several impacts in space, and also on Earth, if it happens near Earth. It gives us obvious effects on the Earth’s biosphere. Yet, it depends on the energy and type of Supernova you have. Yet, it is interesting that the Supernova explosion can be 3000 light-years away. The Supernova signature was seen on Earth in 1996, in metal isotope form signature. Another finding was reported in the Pacific Ocean.

Supernovae can be dangerous if they explode close to the Earth, it is called Type Ia Supernovae.

This type of Supernova arises from the white dwarf star and can affect the Earth, and the effect on both the star system and the Earth isn’t well studied. The closest star that can be the candidate of Supernova stars is IK Pegasi. And the researchers estimate that there will be Supernova Type II happening if it’s 26 light-years away from the Earth. It can result in the loss of the Earth’s ozone layer. And fortunately, the closest candidate is even more than 500 light-years.

Another impact of the explosion of Supernova stars is gravitational waves. Yet, so far, there is no report about the gravitational waves caused by the Supernova. The only waves that Earth experiences is from the fusion of neutron stars and black holes. Cosmic rays is another impact. Yet, the production of cosmic rays caused by space events was found only in a small number. From the Supernova W44 and IC 443 remnants, gamma rays are detected. The rays exist when the SNR accelerates protons that create effects on interstellar material.

For notes, it is speculative when we talk about the closest candidates to be the next Supernova. Further research to have an exact timescale and mechanism are needed.

Categories
Gaming Technology

The Elder Scrolls Online Release

The Elder Scrolls Online was recently released by Bethesda through the Markarth DLC Game Pack. This lets their users use to play this game online until this year. Bethesda ANZ chooses Twitter to promote their release of the game pack. On this platform, users are allowed to choose their own adventure-type story. The first thing to do is choosing snowy hills, roads, or woods, and from this place you can have several branching types to choose like whether you’re fighting, making friends, or many more.

If you’re Skyrim players, you will remind yourself that Markarth is a city with a waterfall, a place where Forsworn murder happened. They have a storyline called the “Dark Heart of Skyrim” which becomes part of the game pack. This also is included in the game’s recent expansions.

A user tried to play this game, he died several times right before he made it to the end of the game. Users or players in New Zealand and Australia even can screencap their game, and submit it. The Elder Scrolls Online provides prize packs for the winner. And during the promotion, players can try to play ESO games and try its full game for free. While if you would like to pay the full standard edition, it is now discounted up to 60%.

Overview

This game is a multiplayer online role-playing game that was published by Bethesda Softworks and was developed by ZeniMax Online Studios. The Elder Scrolls Online was launched in 2014 and they launched for OS X and Windows, while for Xbox Series X or S and PlayStation 5 are planned.

The game takes place in a continent called Tamriel. And the story you have in this game will be connected to the Elder Scrolls franchise’s other games to create a storyline. This feature had been developed for around seven years, and after that, it was then released in 2014.

With the release of their rebranding and re-release of the series, they receive mixed reviews from players. The improvement lies in their Tamriel Unlimited which some critics praise what they have changed. To have this game, you need to buy for its monthly subscription, but in 2015 they changed the subscription system by having an optional subscription and also a buy-to-play feature with microtransactions.

In June 2015, they released the game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles and changed their name to The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. The game is successful, it has around 2.5 million active users with 16 million copies sold by this year 2020.

Free to Play

To welcome the QuakeCon event, Bethesda makes the Elder Scrolls Online completely free to play. Whatever the platforms you have, users can now download the game with ease. They also are able to play it without having to purchase it or paying the subscription fee. Yet, be hurry to enjoy the excitement.

When Bethesda shares the promotion to the users, QuakeCon will conduct a live streaming event to share their next projects. To give rewards and to celebrate the events, the studio offers the game free until the end of the events. Thus, users can access the full game free until August 29 for PS 4 players and August 19 for Xbox One and PC players.

At this time, users will be allowed to have the Morrowind expansion and also the whole base game.  

They start the game with a series called the Dark Heart of Skyrim battle. And to begin it, players will get 500 crowns as rewards, also premium currency. Users can use the rewards to purchase cosmetic items.

During the promo, the game offers you a discount of 50%. The game includes the Morrowind expansion and the base game, while if you’re looking for the Greymoor standard, it offers discounts of 35%. All of the editions include the Elsweysr and the Summerset chapters, as long as the aforementioned packs.

Its Release

This game was firstly launched in 2012, along with the issue of their magazine. And for Mac and Windows users, the game was announced in 2024. A year later, the Elder Scrolls Online was released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users, and the last was in 2020 when the game ported over to Stadia.

Several problems occurred on the first release. Some users said that they cannot activate the features though they already pay for the full month. The investigation was conducted, and they found out that there was a duplication exploit that keys users to increase big fortunes. These accounts were then banned. Other releases for this series are Tamriel Unlimited and also the Gold Edition.